My Formula For the Perfect Green Smoothie

 Ahh good ol’ green smoothies! Disgusting in looks, delicious in taste, packed with nutrients! I started making green smoothies about 2 years ago…I started drinking green smoothies a few weeks later. Lets just say it took some trial and error (mostly error) to get something actually palatable, let alone good. Now I’ve got my system down to a science and they come out great every time! You can switch up the ingredients based on what you like but my basic system breaks it down into 3 simple steps.

Step 1: The Greens

Shocking, I know! Green smoothies need Greens! I’m telling you people this recipe is revolutionary!

There are lots of options of what greens you can put in your smoothie. This all depends on your tolerance and what nutrients you are looking for. We all know why you are supposed to “eat your greens” but where do we start? If you have one specific problem you are looking to help I would do some research on what greens are high in the nutrients needed to fight that problem, and there you have your green! If you do not have a specific issue you in mind then rotate your greens. By switching out greens each time you go to the grocery store you will increase nutrient levels in all areas creating overall better health! Not sure where to start? Here are some ideas:

   -Kale:

The Pros: High in Beta Carotine, vitamin K, vitamin C, calcium and fiber. Beta Carotine turns into vitamin A in your body. Vitamin A can also be known as Retinol…yes Retinol the stuff you pay hundreds of dollars to rub on your face to increase cell turnover! Basically what I am saying is that Kale is great for your skin! And that is just touching on one of the nutrients!

The Cons: Kale has a very strong flavor and is a little harder to cover up (*hint: while I don’t typically like banana in my smoothie, it is great at helping mask the flavor of Kale!). In addition to this, each leaf has a very thick spine that is hard for most blenders to break down. If you’ve got a Vitamix your probably good, but anything short of that and you might want to chop it up a little before adding to your blender.

   -Collard or Mustard Greens:

The Pros: Both Collard and Mustard greens are high in Vitamin K, Vitamin A, and extremely high in Vitamin C. You may want to consider throwing these into your smoothies during cold and flu season to boost the strength of your immune system!

The Cons: These two baby’s are known for their sharp flavor. I personally have a hard time covering these bad boys up, but as you drink more smoothies your tolerance will increase and before you know it you won’t even notice the taste of them… maybe.. 🙂

   -Spinach: (If you are new to green smoothies start here!)

The Pros: Spinach has a very mild flavor! You can barely taste it once you add fruit which I why I would recommend starting here before venturing into others. For me the biggest pull towards spinach is that it is the veggie highest in Iron. Some aspects of my medical problems cause me to be anemic the majority of the time. Searching for ways to add more iron to my diet in an easily absorbable way was what originally led me to green smoothies and I primarily stick with spinach for this reason. Both Iron and Magnesium (which it is also high in) boost energy and help with muscles, so if you are looking for a morning pick me up this may be a great option for you!

The Cons: There aren’t many cons with spinach! Like I said, this is a great place to start!

Breakin’ it down:

   -Blenders: I currently use a NutriBullet and it works great. It is no Vitamix, but it is great for the price and I love the size. When I use a big blender I tend to have an issue with making one portion. You can fit one or two smoothies in the NutriBullet cup so its perfect for me!

   -Blend the Greens first: Add your greens into the cup with a splash of juice and blend these together before you add anything else into your smoothie. This will make sure you don’t end up with spinach in your teeth. Ain’t nobody want dat.

Step 2: The goods

Lets get to the yummy stuff! While fruit is also packed with nutrients, I am more interested in covering up the flavor of the greens. I almost always use frozen fruit because it keeps the smoothie cold, but if you prefer fresh fruit (which is higher in nutrients) just add a handful of ice to your blender.

My favorite fruits: I kind of think of fruit in two categories when it comes to smoothies. 1. The tropicals. 2. The berries. I much prefer the taste of a tropical smoothie so I love adding peach, mango, pineapples, mandarin oranges, and other things along those lines. You can often find these fruits in a mixed bag so that works great as well! If you are more of a berry kind of person try strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, ect.

The Juice: If you are riding on the berry train I would recommend apple juice, or even almond milk, but if you are a tropical gal like me, orange is the only way to go! I love getting mixed fruit juice (mango peach orange for example). They add a lot of flavor and sweetness! I know that artificial fruit juice isn’t the healthiest, but its practical, effective, and delicious!

Step 3: The Extras

At this point you can either stop and blend up your goodness, or add a few extra things to add more flavor or nutrients. Here are some of my favorites:

Yogurt adds a creamy thick texture with a touch of protein.

Flax Seed adds tons of Omega 3’s which can reduce inflammation.

C0c0nut Oil basically makes your smoothie taste like you are drinking it on a tropical island. Trust me. So. Good.

Honey adds natural sweetness and an extra boost of energy. It is also a natural antibacterial!

 So delicious looking right? Ha! Blend it up anyway! Close your eyes and give your new creation a taste, I promise it tastes better than it looks! Enjoy!